Administrative failure led to Bahraich violence: Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday alleged that the administration’s failure led to violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district in which a 22-year-old youth was shot dead during Durga idol immersion in Mahasi Maharajganj area on Sunday.
Speaking to media during his visit to party leader Fakhrul Hasan Chaand’s residence here to pay condolence to Chaand whose mother passed away recently, the SP chief said, “I would like to first of all appeal to all in Bahraich to work towards maintaining law and order. The incident is unfortunate.”
“Everyone knows why it happened. The government should do justice, suspending one chowki in-charge or any other such officer will not ensure law and order,” he further said.
“When the procession was being taken out, the administration should have ensured ample security arrangements on the route. Also, it should have been checked what was being played (on loudspeakers). Was it insulting anyone? The entire responsibility was of the administration and its failure led to the violence,” he alleged.
“Not just in Bahraich, there is an age-old mela that is held in Varanasi’s Ramnagar. There were no proper barricading and security arrangements which led to lathi charge there in which many people were injured,” the SP chief alleged.
“In Uttar Pradesh, BJP people are doing things arbitrarily. Everyone saw how a BJP MLA was slapped in Lakhimpur and the administration was not even registering an FIR,” he alleged.
“The politics of vote by the BJP is leading to chaos and anarchy in the state. I would like to urge people to be wary of the ruling party,” he said.
On the alleged ‘custodial’ death of a Dalit youth in Lucknow recently, Akhilesh Yadav alleged, “The death of Aman Gautam in Lucknow is not the first custodial death in UP. Most of those who died in this way were of the PDA family. Police claim he was gambling. Let Diwali come, every house will organise such events.”
“If someone was merely watching others play, who has given rights (to police) to beat them to death? The administration and the government have gone out of control and they will be controlled only when they are thrown out of power,” the SP leader claimed.
On NCP leader Baba Siddique’s murder, he said, “If such murders are committed despite Y, X or Z category security, questions will be raised. If such a big businessman and influential person with a big security cover can be murdered, anyone can be killed.”